Chapter One
Nathan Scott stared down at the document in front of him. He should have known his father would pull a stunt like this. The son of a bitch always had to have the last word and it looked like even a little thing like death wasn’t going to stop that from happening once more.
Running his hands through his hair, he tried to think of anything that would get him out of this but after having just spoken with his father’s lawyer as well as his own, he knew it was futile. Dan Scott had made damn sure his Last Will and Testament was watertight and couldn’t be contested by anyone.
Getting up from his comfortable leather desk chair, Nathan walked over to the cabinet where he kept his expensive scotch and after pouring a double measure into a crystal tumbler, he downed it almost in one go. He was tempted to have another but he needed to keep a clear head if he was going to sort this damn mess out. What the hell had his father been thinking when he added that Clause to his Will?
Walking back over to his desk, he stood by the large window and stared at the Chicago skyline as everything that had happened that day whirled around in his head. It wasn’t as if he needed his father’s money; he was a successful businessman in his own right but still… It was the principle of the matter. That money was his rightful inheritance and he deserved it after all the crap he’d gone through as a kid at his father’s hands.
Picking up the copy of the Will from his desk, he re-read a particular section again:
‘I, Daniel Royal Scott, upon my death, bequeath the bulk of my Estate to my son, Nathan Daniel Scott, on his thirtieth birthday. However, the sum of two hundred and fifty million dollars will only be bestowed to him on the day of his wedding. In the event that he is not married by the time he is thirty, and married for three years thereafter, he shall receive nothing except for the family home in Tree Hill, North Carolina. Should the marriage last for less than three years, the money will be removed from his possession and distributed among other family members and to the charities I have listed separately.’
Nathan felt like screaming but the last thing he wanted was to draw unnecessary attention to himself and create any office gossip. His secretary was bad enough as it was without adding fuel to the fire. Checking his watch, he saw that it wasn’t even four o’clock yet but he didn’t care. He knew he wasn’t going to be getting any actual work done so he might as well leave early. Picking up his phone, he dialled his secretary’s extension and she picked up on the second ring.
“Maggie, I’m going to be leaving in a few minutes so just take messages from now on. Oh, and get Lucas on the line for me.” He hung up the phone before she could get a word in. A few moments later, his phone buzzed and he picked up the receiver. “Thanks,” he told Maggie and as soon as he heard a click on the line, he said, “Luke, I need to talk to you. It’s urgent.”
“Hello to you too, cuz. What’s up?”
“It’s not something I want to talk about over the phone. I was wondering if there’s any way we can meet up?”
“Sure, if you’re willing to fly back home. You know I can’t leave Brooke so close to her due date.”
“Damn! I’d forgotten about that.”
“Nathan, you only saw her a few days ago at the…the funeral. Are you okay?”
“No, I’m not.” He replied honestly. “I’ll cancel my meetings down here and I’ll catch the next available flight out. Can you do me a favour though and not tell anyone I’m coming back?”
“Uh sure, if that’s what you want. Call and let me know when you get in and where you want me to meet you.”
“Thanks Luke, I really appreciate it.”
“Can you just give me an idea of what’s going on? You’ve got me all worried here, man.”
“I’m sorry. You know me though, I’m probably freaking out over nothing. It’s just…uh, did you happen to be given a copy of Dan’s Will?”
On the other end of the line, Lucas frowned. His cousin wasn’t one to freak out over nothing and he knew whatever it was had to be pretty serious for him to sound so worked up. “No, I didn’t. Why, what’s in it?”
Nathan sighed. “It’s better that I just show it to you when we meet up. I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you when I’m back home.”
“Okay. See you soon.”
After saying goodbye, Nathan hung up the phone and not wanting his secretary to find out what his plans were, he called the airline himself and booked a seat on the next available flight to Tree Hill and once that was done, he then booked into a hotel nearest the airport. Until he knew for sure who else knew about the stipulation in his father’s Will, he didn’t want anyone to know he was back home and start bombarding him with questions as to why he had returned so soon after the funeral.
Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself before going out to face the barrage of questions his secretary would no doubt have for him once he revealed he was going away again. Sometimes, he really wondered who was in charge of his company; him or her.